Intuit will probably never change this.

When I'm entering data in the register, after entering the date I press tab and then delete and then tab again. After awhile it just seems natural do to, unless I'm actually writing a check, which is about once a month.

Note that if you're entering a deposit you don't have to worry about the check number because when you enter the deposit amount in the Deposit column, the check number disappears. So, that might help a little.